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Sergeant Bigglesworth C.I.D./plot
Chapter 1: Crime à la Mode With 666 Squadron about to disband, Biggles, Algy, Ginger and Bertie wonder what to do next. However, Air Commondore Raymond soon comes round with a proposal. There has been a series of spectacular robberies which must have involved a gang with high speed, long range aircraft. The ship Rajah, carrying pearls from Basra had been robbed and the loot disposed in America three days later, before the ship reached Bombay. A week later, a transport carrying diamonds from Alexander Bay to Cape Town had been shot down. The diamonds were sold in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro before the wreckage was found. There is only one slim clue--a ship's officer had reported seeing an unusual plane over the Atlantic with an oval rudder on a long boom. Chapter 2: Purely Technical There are few aircraft with the performance to pull off these robberies. One, the Spur, was a British prototype. One other possibility was the German Renkell family of aircraft under development as the war ended: a fighter and a light bomber. From Freddie Lavers at Air Intelligence, Biggles learns that the Renkell prototypes had disappeared after the war. The designer, Ludwig Renkell, and the test pilot, Kurt Baumer, had also gone. Baumer was good terms with Julius Hans Gontermann, a high ranking Nazi. Clues begin to pile up: Algy finds a news article about Gontermann. Before the war he was associated with an American gangster Max Grindler. He later became a jewel smuggler and then joined the Nazi party where he rose to high rank and then vanished after the war. Chapter 3: The Yellow Swan Now a detective-sergeant with Scotland Yard, Biggles arrives with his team at Augsburg flying a Mosquito and the Spur. They meet Rudolf Preuss, the manager of the Renkell works. He strenuously denies there were any Renkell prototypes but in the scrapyard, Biggles finds tubing shaped like an oval rudder. Inside Baumer's old office, they find an photo in the waste basket. There's a greeting to Baumer from one Carlos Scaroni. On the factory floor, they find a civil light aircraft painted an ugly sand yellow. It's the Swan, Preuss says. Renkell had intended this for the postwar civil touring market. It's unusual, being fitted with a long range tank and the best instruments. Chapter 4: Preuss Plays a Card Out on the tarmac, Biggles and co. catch a mechanic, Franz Schneider, tampering with the aileron control of the Spur. Schneider confesses that Preuss had made him do it--Preuss was a man to be afraid of, he says. Under further questioning, Schneider reveals that Renkell and Baumer had flown off in the "Wolf", the Renkell fighter prototype, as the war ended. The bomber had been converted to a transport and flown off by an Italian named "Carlos" with Gontermann and someone with an American accent. The wheel track of the Renkell transport was four metres. Further questioning has to stop and Preuss approaches them and sends Schneider away. Algy and Bertie gp off in the Mosquito to the Arabian coast to search for and measure the wheel tracks of the aircraft which was used in the robbery of the Rajah. Meanwhile Biggles and Ginger would follow up with Schneider. Chapter 5: Preuss Tries Again Schneider calls Biggles at his hotel and reports that Preuss was getting the Swan ready for a flight. He also revealed that Preuss had a underground tank of fuel hidden beneath a pile of scrap. Schneider is late coming to the hotel to pick up a reward for his information so Biggles and Ginger head over to his house. He has been horribly murdered. The door to the room then slams shut. They are locked in and the house set on fire. Biggles and Ginger have to smash their way out. Chapter 6: Getting Warmer Next morning, Biggles and Ginger learn that Preuss had flown off the night before. Inside his office, they find a blood-stained overcoat. He must have been Schneider's murderer. Looking for pin holes on a map, they find a hole at Castel Bonito Airfield at Tripoli. Algy reports in--he had found four-metre wheel tracks near Bahrein. From Raymond, Biggles learns that Scaroni had been an Italian Air Force supply officer in Abyssinia and then in Libya at El Zufra oasis during the war. Raymond also gives a description of Grindler. He had escaped from a U.S. prison recently. At Tripoli, Biggles and Ginger see the Swan departing, heading north. The Renkell transport is also there, heading southeast! They can't follow as they are low on fuel and Biggles has to threaten the Italian airport manager to get some. He is obviously in the pay of the gang as he tries to obstruct their refuelling until his paymasters have gotten clean away. In the airport restaurant, they meet Scaroni and Grindler who are about to board an airliner for Alexandria. Chapter 7: Gloves Off Biggles and Ginger head for Alexandria where they meet up with Algy and Bertie. Biggles asks Bertie to shadow Scaroni and Grindler and learn what they are doing. Bertie doesn't have to go far. Grinder and Scaroni have checked into the very same hotel and have booked seats on a B.O.A.C. Short Empire flying boat, the Calpurnia, departing for London in the morning. The Calpurnia is full so Algy and Bertie follow the flight in the Mosquito. But Biggles then sees the Calpurnia departing half empty and asks the traffic manager about it. Many passengers inexplicably failed to appearm he says. When Biggles mentions that an expert jewel thief is on board, the manager turns pale. The regalia of the Maharajah of Mysalore is on board! It's too late to warn the flying boat, so Biggles and Ginger pursue it in the Spur. They find it soon enough, forced down and beached. The Renkell transport is just taking off. Biggles is set to follow and if necessary, use his guns. He tells Ginger to keep a look out for the fighter, which must be providing cover. Ginger spots it, but even so, the Wolf, dodging in and out of cloud, manages to get in the first shot and holes the fuel tank. It's foolish to pursue with a damaged tank, so Biggles lands near the flying boat. Chapter 8: Biggles Follows On Algy and Bertie arrive with the Mosquito. Biggles and Ginger take it and head for where they think the Renkells had gone--El Zufra. Algy and Bertie are to follow after the Spur is repaired. El Zufra looks deserted so they land for a closer look. On touchdown, there's a big explosion which throws the aircraft up pitches it on its nose. They have landed in a minefield! There's nothing for it, Biggles decides he must step through the mines and reach the oasis. Chapter 9: Gontermann Makes a Proposal Gontermann and his gang are there and they take Biggles prisoner. Among the gang, Biggles now meets another of his old adversaries, Hauptmann Rudolf von Zoyton. Grindler wants to kill him but Gontermann suggests that he join them. They new more pilots to expand the operation. He gives Biggles up to morning to think it over. Chapter 10: Ginger Takes a Walk Meanwhile Baumer takes off in the Wolf to destroy the Mosquito. Ginger senses trouble and gets away from his aircraft just in time before it is blown up. The Wolf had exited the oasis along a wadi so that must be the same path through the mines. But in the mean time he must prevent the Spur from landing in the minefield. He moves to the north, far enough away to avoid the Spur being spotted. It arrives at dawn and Ginger lights a fire to catch its attention. The Spur lands and Ginger tells Algy and Bertie what had happened Chapter 11: Biggles Takes to Water With a minefield outside the oasis and a double ring around the water itself, Gontermann is confident that Biggles can't escape and so leaves him unguarded. Towards dawn Biggles sees a chance--a palm tree had fallen so that it's fronds almost touched the water. Using this method, Biggles traverses the mines and lowers himself into the water. The gang search for him but give up in the end and depart in their Renkells. Ginger and Algy join Biggles at the oasis. Bertie has stayed behind to watch the Spur. Chapter 12: Bertie Flies Alone Bertie sees the Renkells taking off and decides he must take this chance to discover the base of the gang. After a long flight east, they enter Sudan. Bertie is worried about fuel but his dilemma is soon solved when he loses his quarry in a heat haze. He diverts to Khartoum and to his delight, discovers that the station commander is Wilks! Wilks graps the situation at once. Along with Bertie and his Spur, Wilks sends a Lancaster and a troop of Askaris to clear the mines at the oasis. Chapter 13: Events at El Zufra Back at El Zufra, a group of Toureg tribesmen arrive. They are angry that the mines there had killed their brethren. They regard Biggles and co. as "from the same tribe" as those who planted the mines. The debate to kill them or not swings to and fro and gets bad when another Toureg accidentally steps on a mine near the edge of the water and his blown up. Chapter 14: Back to the Trail Tensions are about to erupt but Bertie arrives with the Askaris. Now outnumbered, the Toureg leave, after getting the assurance that the oasis will soon be safe to use. Leaving the Askaris to clear the mines, Biggles and co. depart with the Spur and Lancaster to Khartoum where they have their first real rest in Wilks' mess. Biggles had heard Grindler mention that he hated going back to "the Sanseviera". Where is this? Wilks says he doesn't know but there's plenty of it around. It turns out it is a type of hemp plant. There is a large field of them just across the Abyssinian border. Scaroni had served in Abyssinia! Chapter 15: The Sanseviera A message arrives from Raymond telling Biggles: "Go where you like and do what you like" as long as he gets the crooks. The R.A.F. had been ordered to cooperate fully. First Biggles arranges for a spare Mosquito to be fetched. Then they paint two Tiger Moths in Abyssinian Air Force colours for a discreet reconnaissance over the border. Several sorties are made without spotting anything but then Raymond sends a message giving a bearing of a strange radio signal that had been picked up. It crosses with the course of the Renkells directly in the centre of the area of sanseviera. Biggles decides to explore on foot. With Ginger, Algy and Sergeant Mahmud of the Askaris as interpreter, they land two Tiger Moths near the area and meet a local Danakil, Burradidi. Coaxed with some money, Burradidi reveals there were some white men in the vicinity. He would take them part of the way but not all of it because these men had "air that kills". Chapter 16: The Poison Belt The party closes in on a well-camouflaged airbase. They are discovered and the gang opens up with machine guns and then lob poison gas bombs. Biggles and co. must withdraw but first Biggles wants to at least do some damage. Sgt Mahmud has two hand grenades so Biggles throws them in the direction of the thatched hut which appeared to be the gang's headquarters. They retreat to the Tiger Moths but see a pall of smoke behind them. It seems the grenades have set fire to the hut at the base. In the air, the Moths are quickly overtaken by the two Renkells. The gang has decided to pull out but not without shooting down their adversaries. It will be an unequal fight but fortunately Bertie had been detailed to patrol the area in the Spur. He spots the trouble and pitches in. The Renkell transport decides to flee, leaving the Wolf to engage the Spur. Bertie quickly outmanoeuvres his opponent and shoots it down. The Wolf crash lands. The crew comprises von Zoyton, who is severely wounded and Scaroni, who is dead. Bertie has also been shot in the leg. Chapter 17: Gontermann Does It Again Biggles and Ginger pursue the transport in the Spur and catch it refuelling at El Zufra. Gontermann and Baumer abandon Grindler and take off again. Grindler will not give up and engages Biggles. He dives for cover into a dell hole and is blown up. The cleared mines had been stacked there. Chapter 18: The Last Lap Back in the air, the Spur catches up with the tranport and shoots it down. Gontermann parachutes to safety and again offers a share of the loot which he still has. Biggles refuses so Gontermann draws his gun but Biggles shoots first and kills him, The stolen jewels are returned and Raymond congratulates them. No policeman had ever earned so much in so short a time. Biggles should consider staying on and making his fortune. He tells Raymond he will think about it. Category:Plot summaries